Front end module (fem) with integrated functionality

ABSTRACT

A front end radio frequency (RF) module including one or more first filter circuits configured to implement a front end function by filtering first signals communicated between one or more first antenna and a transceiver and one or more second filter circuits configured to implement at least a portion of an additional network function within the front end RF module by filtering second signals communicated between one or more second antennas and the transceiver.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to radio frequency (RF)systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to front endmodules (FEMs) in RF systems. FEMs are devices that can operate betweenone or more transceivers and one or more antennas of an electronicdevice (e.g., a cell phone). The FEM can include circuits for amplifyingsignals, switching signals, and/or filtering signals. It may bedesirable to reduce the size of the FEM such that the FEM takes up lessspace in a device. Furthermore, it may be desirable to decrease thenumber of components needed in the FEM, thus decreasing the overall costof manufacturing the FEM. The electronic device may include a FEM for alow frequency band, a mid/high frequency band, and/or an ultrahighfrequency band. Furthermore, the electronic device may include a modulefor diversity, dual connectivity (DC), and/or multiple input multipleoutput (MIMO) functions.

SUMMARY

One implementation of the present disclosure is a front end radiofrequency (RF) module including one or more first filter circuits andone or more first amplifier circuits configured to implement a front endfunction by filtering and then amplifying or amplifying and thenfiltering a first signal communicated between one or more first antennaand a transceiver and one or more second filter circuits and one or moresecond amplifier circuits configured to implement at least a portion ofan additional network function within the front end RF module byfiltering and then amplifying or amplifying and then filtering a secondsignal communicated between one or more second antenna and thetransceiver.

In some embodiments, the additional network function is at least one ofa multiple input multiple output (MIMO) function, a diversity function,and a dual connectivity (DC) function.

In some embodiments, the RF module includes one or more circuitsconfigured to repurpose a filter circuit of the one or more first filtercircuits to implement the additional network function in response to thefront end RF module operating in a particular mode where the filtercircuit is unused to implement the front end function.

In some embodiments, a second filter circuit of the one or more secondfilter circuits and the filter circuit repurposed to implement theadditional network function are integrated onto a single integratedfilter circuit die.

In some embodiments, at least two like filter circuits of the one ormore first filter circuits and the one or more second filter circuitsare integrated onto a single integrated filter circuit die.

In some embodiments, resonators of a first filter circuit of the atleast two like filter circuits and a second filter circuit of the atleast two like filter circuits are tiled to increase a resonator area todie area ratio of the single filter circuit die.

In some embodiments, the at least two like filter circuits are filtersof a predefined frequency range and are both receive filters or transmitfilters.

In some embodiments, the first filter circuit includes a first number ofstages that implement filtering for the predefined frequency range andthe second filter circuit includes a second number of stages thatimplement filtering for the predefined frequency range, wherein thefirst number of stages is different than the second number of stages.

In some embodiments, the at least two like filter circuits comprise afirst filter circuit and a second filter circuit. In some embodiments,the single integrated filter circuit die includes a first input port anda first output port for the first filter circuit and a second input portand a second output port for the second filter circuit. In someembodiments, the first output port is connected to a first low noiseamplifier (LNA) and the second output port is connected to a second LNA.In some embodiments, the first input port is connected to a firstantenna and the second input port is connected to a second antenna.

In some embodiments, the single integrated filter circuit die includesone or more common ground pads for the first filter circuit and thesecond filter circuit.

In some embodiments, the single integrated filter circuit die includesan independent pad for each of the first input port, the first outputport, the second input port, and the second output port.

Another implementation of the present disclosure is an electronic deviceincluding a front end radio frequency (RF) module comprising filtercircuits and amplifier circuits configured to implement a front endfunction by filtering and then amplifying or amplifying and thenfiltering a signal communicated between one or more antenna and atransceiver. At least two filter circuits of the filter circuits areintegrated onto a single integrated filter circuit die of the RF module,wherein the at least two filter circuits are associated with apredefined frequency range.

In some embodiments, the RF module of the electronic device includes oneor more second filter circuits and one or more second amplifier circuitsconfigured to implement at least a portion of an additional networkfunction within the front end RF module by filtering and then amplifyingor amplifying and then filtering a second signal communicated betweenone or more second antenna and the transceiver. In some embodiments, theadditional network function is at least one of a multiple input multipleoutput (MIMO) function, a diversity function, and a dual connectivity(DC) function.

In some embodiments, the RF module of the electronic device includes oneor more circuits configured to repurpose a filter circuit of theplurality of filter circuits to implement the additional networkfunction in response to the front end RF module operating in aparticular mode where the filter circuit is unused to implement thefront end function.

In some embodiments, a second filter circuit of the one or more secondfilter circuits and the filter circuit repurposed to implement theadditional network function are integrated onto a particular singleintegrated filter circuit die of the RF module of the electronic device.

In some embodiments, at least two like filter circuits of the pluralityof filter circuits and the one or more second filter circuits areintegrated onto a particular single integrated filter circuit die of theRF module of the electronic device. In some embodiments, one or more ofa plurality of resonators of a first filter circuit of the two likefilter circuits and a second filter circuit of the two like filtercircuits are tiled to increase a resonator area to die area ratio of theparticular single integrated filter circuit die. In some embodiments,the at least two like filter circuits are both receive filters ortransmit filters.

In some embodiments, the particular single integrated filter circuit dieincludes a first input port and a first output port for the first filtercircuit and a second input port and a second output port for the secondfilter circuit. In some embodiments, the first output port is connectedto a first low noise amplifier (LNA) and the second output port isconnected to a second LNA. In some embodiments, the first input port isconnected to a first antenna and the second input port is connected to asecond antenna.

Another implementation of the present disclosure is a multi-chip moduledevice including integrated filter circuits, integrated switch circuits,and integrated amplifier circuits configured to implement a front endfunction by filtering and then amplifying or amplifying and thenfiltering a signal communicated between one or more first antenna and atransceiver. At least two filter circuits of the filter circuits areintegrated onto a single integrated filter circuit die of the device,wherein the two filter circuits are associated with a predefinedfrequency range. One or more die infrastructure of the single integratedfilter circuit die are shared between the at least two filter circuits.

In some embodiments, two or more of the integrated amplifier circuitsare integrated onto a single integrated amplifier circuit die.

In some embodiments, two or more of the integrated switch circuits ofthe multi-chip module device are integrated onto a single integratedswitch circuit die of the multi-chip module and additional logic for aMobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) controller of the multi-chipmodule is integrated together with the MIPI controller on a singleintegrated MIPI controller circuit die.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example system including a FEM and a multiple inputmultiple output (MIMO) module, where the FEM and the MIMO module areseparate modules that interface between antennas and a transceiver.

FIG. 2 shows an example system including a FEM that integrates the FEMand the MIMO module of FIG. 1 into a single FEM.

FIG. 3 shows an example system including a FEM that integrates likefilters onto integrated filter circuit dies and integrates low noiseamplifiers onto a single integrated amplifier circuit die.

FIG. 4 shows an example system including a FEM that integrates likefilters onto integrated filter circuit dies.

FIG. 5 shows an example circuit of multiple like filters integrated ontoa single integrated filter circuit die and separate LNAs.

FIG. 6 shows an example circuit of multiple like filters integrated ontoa single integrated filter circuit die and multiple LNAs integrated ontoanother single integrated amplifier circuit die.

FIG. 7 shows an example circuit of a transmitter (Tx) filter and areceiver (Rx) filter integrated onto a single die.

FIG. 8 shows an example circuit of two dissimilar filters integratedonto a single die.

FIG. 9 shows an example circuit diagram of resonators for a filtercircuit.

FIG. 10 shows an example circuit diagram of resonators for two filtersintegrated onto a single die.

FIG. 11 shows an example circuit diagram of resonators for two filtersintegrated onto a single die with different numbers of stages.

FIG. 12 shows an example layout of a Band 25 filter circuit die.

FIG. 13 shows an example layout of a Band 8 duplexer circuit die.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring generally to the FIGURES, an example FEM with integratedfunctionality is shown. In some embodiments, a FEM can be configured toabsorb the functionality of other modules such as a diversity module, aMIMO module, and/or a Dual Connectivity (DC) module. A MIMO module canbe a device of an electronic system that multiplies the capacity of aradio link using multiple transmitting and receiving antennas to exploitmultipath propagation. A diversity module can be a device of theelectronic system that improves a communication link quality byutilizing two or more communication channels. A DC module can performoperations to facilitate dual connectivity with small cell networks andmacro cell networks. The FEM can integrate the components (e.g.,filters, amplifiers, etc.) of an additional network functionality (e.g.,MIMO, DC, diversity) with the components (e.g., filters, amplifiers,etc.) of the FEM.

In some cases, adding additional components to a FEM causes the FEM tobecome large. To reduce the size of the FEM, in some embodiments,additional switches and LNAs can be integrated onto the siliconintegrated circuits (ICs) of a FEM that already include switches andLNAs. Furthermore, like filters can be combined at the die level withinthe FEM. Like filters can be filters that support substantially the samefrequency band and are a same type (e.g., a transmitting filter, areceiving filter, a bandpass filter, etc.). Like filter integration canenable the addition of functionality (e.g., absorbing MIMO, diversity,or DC functionality) into a FEM with little or no increase in the modulesize.

In some embodiments, two or more instances of filters of a FEMsupporting a particular frequency range, e.g., a frequency band, can beintegrated onto a single die. In some embodiments, the integratedfilters include a filter of a FEM and another filter of an additionalnetwork function (e.g., MIMO, diversity, DC, etc.). This integrationallows reduction of board area at the system level while increasing FEMfunctionality. Furthermore, integrating like filters onto a single dieresults in increased area efficiency without impacting wafer yield. Thenumber of die per wafer may be reduced as the die grows to accommodatethe added filters but this can be avoided by integration techniques.

Some FEMs include multiple filters of the same frequency band, eachconfigured to operate to meet communication requirements of differentgeographic regions. For example, one filter may be applicable forwireless communication in a first geographic area while another filter,of the same frequency band, can be implemented within the FEM tofacilitate communication in a second geographic area. Integration ofthese like filter functions onto a single die of the FEM can providearea savings and reduce materials required for the FEM.

For example, there may be two Band 41 (B41) filter instances in a FEM,one used in an Asia switch configuration, the other in a North Americaswitch configuration. If the FEM also supports MIMO for operation inNorth America, the B41 filter instance used in the Asia configurationmight be repurposed as a B41 filter for MIMO in North America operation,i.e., when a device including the FEM is located in North America.Similarly for operation in Asia, the instance of the B41 filter in theNorth American configuration might be operated as the MIMO filter forAsia operation. Thus, only two filters are needed instead of three.

Integrating like filters can be used to absorb external filters for aMIMO circuit, diversity circuit, and/or a DC circuit into the FEMwithout the FEM increasing significantly in size. Integrating MIMOcircuits, DC circuits, and/or diversity circuits can eliminate entireexternal modules and create significant efficiencies. Furthermore,integrating like filters can ease repurposing of extra instances offilters (e.g., from geographical combinations) to other uses like MIMO,diversity, or DC.

Another benefit of like filter integration is that overall wafer yieldcan remain constant as processes, process flows, and order-of-masks areunchanged. Generally, the larger the integrated die, the fewer total dieper wafer. However, this decrease in die yield can be mitigated throughthe filter integration by sharing grounds, tiling (e.g., efficientlymatching larger resonators with small resonators), eliminating redundantsaw alleys and/or streets, eliminating redundant keep out zones, and/orother techniques. For example, infrastructure of a filter such as sawstreets and keep out zones that surround every die for assemblypurposes. However, saw streets and keep out zones can be shared whenmultiple filters occupy a single die, thus resulting in area savings forthe die. Other space saving techniques such as the sharing of groundpins between the filters integrated onto the die can also beimplemented.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an example system 100 including a FEM 106 and aMIMO module 102, where the FEM 106 and the MIMO module 102 are separatemodules that interface between antennas 132-134 and a transceiver 104.The FEM 106 and/or the MIMO module 102 can include various duplexers,diplexers, triplexers, quadplexers, etc. The system 100 can be any kindof wirelessly communicating device. For example, the system 100 can be acell phone, a laptop, a tablet, a wireless router, an Internet of Things(IoT) device, a set top box, and/or any other type of wirelesslycommunicating device.

The system 100 can include one or multiple antenna. In FIG. 1, thesystem 100 includes a MIMO antenna 132 and a primary antenna 134. TheMIMO antenna 132 and/or the primary antenna 134 can be isotropicantennas, dipole antennas, monopole antennas, array antennas, loopantennas, conical antennas, and/or any other type of antenna. The MIMOmodule 102 and/or the FEM 106 can be configured to perform filteringand/or amplifying for receiving signals via the MIMO antenna 132 and/orthe primary antenna 134 (shown) and/or perform filtering and/oramplifying for transmitting signals received from the transceiver 104via the MIMO antenna 132 and/or the primary antenna 134 (not shown).

The FEM 106 can include filters 122-130 each configured to receive asignal from the primary antenna 134 and filter the received signal. Thefilters 122-130 are shown as band pass filters but can be low passfilters, high pass filters, and/or any other type of filter. Low noiseamplifiers (LNAs), i.e., LNAs 120-128 can be configured to amplify thefiltered signals before providing the amplified signals to thetransceiver 104. While only three sets of LNAs and filters are shown inthe FEM 106, any number of sets of LNAs and filters can be includedwithin the FEM 106 for transmitting signals and/or receiving signals.

The MIMO module 102 can include filters 108-116 each configured toreceive a signal from the MIMO antenna 132 and filter the receivedsignal. The filters 108-116 are shown as band pass filters but can below pass filters, high pass filters, and/or any other type of filter.The filters 108-116 can be filters for Band 25, Band 34, Band 39, Band42, and/or any other frequency band or predefined range of frequencies.LNAs 110-118 can be configured to amplify the filtered signals beforeproviding the amplified signals to the transceiver 104. While only threesets of LNAs and filters are shown in the MIMO module 102, any number ofsets of LNAs and filters can be included within the MIMO module 102 fortransmitting signals and/or receiving signals.

The transceiver 104 can include one or more components for processingreceived signals and/or signals to be transmitted. The transceiver 104can include various mixers, filters, oscillators, phase shifters, etc.Furthermore, the transceiver 104 can include one or more analog todigital converters (ADC) and/or digital to analog converters (DACs). Thetransceiver 104 can interface with another device and/or component ofthe system 100, e.g., a processing system of the system 100.

While the system 100 is shown to include a MIMO module 102, the systemcan instead, or additionally, include a module to handle another networkfunction. While the MIMO module 102 handles filtering and/oramplification for a MIMO network function, in some embodiments, thesystem 100 can include components to implement a DC network function ora diversity network function.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the system 100 including a FEM 200 thatintegrates the FEM 106 and the MIMO module 102 into a single module isshown. The FEM 200 includes one or more circuit dies that integrate thefilters 108-130 and/or the LNAs 110-128. Switching, amplification,and/or control circuit components of the MIMO module 102 and the FEM 106can be integrated together in the FEM 200. The integration may maintaina high degree of isolation between transmitting and/or receiving MIMOand/or FEM paths.

While the FEM 200 is shown to integrate the MIMO module 102 with the FEM106, in some embodiments, the FEM 200 can integrate a MIMO module, adiversity module, and/or a DC module into the FEM 200. In this regard,filters and/or amplifiers of one or more network functions can beintegrated along with the filters and/or amplifiers of a FEM.

In some embodiments, any filter that in a particular mode of operationof the system 100 is not being used in the primary path of the FEM 200can be re-purposed to support MIMO, diversity, and/or DC functions. Insome embodiments, integration of MIMO, DC, and/or diversityfunctionality into the FEM 200 enables filter reuse. Any filter that ina particular mode of operation is not used in the primary FEM path canbe re-purposed to support MIMO, diversity, and/or dual connectivityfunctions. In some embodiments, these separate filters used to supportthe same band can be integrated onto a single die.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-4, the system 100 including the FEM 200 thatintegrates like filters onto integrated filter circuit dies andintegrates low noise amplifiers onto a single integrated amplifiercircuit die is shown. In some embodiments, the LNAs 110-128 can beintegrated together on a single integrated LNA circuit die. In thisregard, the amplification for the FEM 200 and/or a MIMO function (oranother network function such as diversity and/or DC), can be integratedonto a single integrated amplifier circuit die.

Furthermore, the filter 108 can be integrated with the filter 122 on anintegrated filter circuit die 400, the filter 112 can be integrated withthe filter 126 on another integrated filter circuit die 402, and/or thefilter 116 can be integrated with the filter 130 on another integratedfilter circuit die 404. In this regard, MIMO filters (or filters ofanother network function such as diversity and/or DC) can be integratedwith filters of the FEM.

In some embodiments, the filters 108-116 and/or the filters 122-130 aregrouped and integrated onto dies based on a predefined frequency range.The predefined frequency range could be a RF band, e.g., Band 25, Band34, Band 39, Band 41, Band 42. For example, two or more filters of theMIMO module 102 and/or FEM 106 that are associated with a particularfrequency range can be integrated together onto a particular integratedfilter circuit die.

In some embodiments, switches can be integrated onto a single integratedswitch circuit die. In some embodiments, components to implement a MIPIcontroller (e.g., additional MIPI logic and a MIPI controller) can beintegrated onto a single integrated MIPI controller circuit die. In someembodiments, multiple amplifiers can be integrated onto a singleintegrated amplifier circuit die. LNAs on silicon substrates can beintegrated with other LNA circuits on silicon substrates. Switches onSilicon on Insulator (SOI) can be integrated onto single SOI silicondie, growing the die slightly.

In some embodiments, filters for MIMO can be integrated with filters ofthe FEM that are like filters, e.g., filters that support the samefrequency band. Furthermore, based on a switching configuration of theFEM 200, filters can be repurposed to implement various networkfunctions, hence, reducing an overall filter count. For example, filtersassociated with a specific geographic region that the system 100 is notlocated in (e.g., filters for a North America mode of operation) couldbe repurposed by one or more switches of the FEM 200 to implement MIMO,DC, and/or diversity for the system 100.

In FIG. 4, only two filters are implemented on each of the integratedfilter circuit dies 400-404. In some embodiments, any number of filterscan be integrated onto the same integrated filter circuit die. Forexample, three, four, or more like filters could be integrated onto thesame integrated filter circuit die. For example, a filter of a FEM, afilter of a MIMO module, a filter of a DC module, and/or a filter of adiversity module could be integrated onto a single integrated filtercircuit die where each of the filters is associated with a particularfrequency band.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a circuit 500 including the integrated filtercircuit die 400 that integrates multiple like filters and separate LNAs110 and 120 is shown. The integrated filter circuit die 400 includes twoor more sets of input and output ports that are independent of eachother. Furthermore, the input and output ports are not connected to thesame antenna, but are instead connected to separate antennas, theprimary antenna 134 and the MIMO antenna 132 respectively.

Furthermore, the output ports of the integrated filter circuit die 400are not connected to the same LNA but are instead connected to separateLNAs, i.e., the LNA 120 and the LNA 110 respectively. One filter on theintegrated filter circuit die 400 can be used as the primary filter forthe FEM (e.g., the filter 122) and a different filter on the integratedfilter circuit die 400 supporting the same frequency band can be usedfor a MIMO, diversity, or DC network function (e.g., the filter 108).

By combining like filters onto the same integrated filter circuit die400, the space on the die can be used more efficiently. For example, sawalleys take up a proportionally smaller percent of the area for anintegrated filter circuit die that includes more integrated filters. Inmany cases, the filter size is dictated by the minimum spacing of thepads and the vias of the integrated filter circuit die. By adding morefunctional resonators to form another like filter, but sharing thegrounds with the other filter of the integrated filter circuit die 400,the efficiency of pad uses increases.

Distance spacing between resonators and other infrastructure (e.g.,ground seals, via pads, etc.) and tiling resonators (e.g., matchingsmall with large resonators to optimize space) contributes to making thenet filter area smaller. In a module, every filter needs a keep out zoneto allow for the placing of the filters during assembly. This keep outzone and dead space is minimized when integrating multiple filters onthe same die.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a circuit 600 of multiple like filtersintegrated onto the single integrated filter circuit die 400 andmultiple LNAs integrated onto an integrated filter circuit die 602 isshown. One input port of the integrated amplifier circuit die 602connects to an output port of the integrated circuit filter die 400associated with the filter 122. Another input port of the integratedamplifier circuit die 602 connects to an output port of the integratedfilter circuit die 400 associated with the filter 108. Output ports ofthe integrated amplifier circuit die 602 associated with the LNA 120 andthe LNA 110 can both connect to the transceiver 104.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a circuit 700 of a transmitter (Tx) filter 704and a receiver (Rx) filter 706 integrated onto a single die 702 isshown. As compared to the integrated filter circuit die 400 illustratedin FIGS. 5 and 6, the integrated amplifier circuit die 702 integrates Txand Rx filters while the integrated filter circuit die 400 integratestwo like filters, two Rx filters. Furthermore, the integrated filtercircuit die 702 includes three ports as compared to the four ports ofthe integrated filter circuit die 400. The integrated filter circuit die400 includes separate input and output ports for each of the filters 122and the 108. In comparison, the integrated filter circuit die 702includes separate output ports and a common input port for the Tx filter702 and the Rx filter 706 of the integrated filter circuit die 702.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a circuit 800 of two dissimilar filtersintegrated onto the integrated filter circuit die 802 is shown. Incomparison to the integrated filter circuit die 400 that integrates twosimilar filters, the filters of the integrated filter circuit die 802are dissimilar. First filter 804 and dissimilar filter 806 of theintegrated filter circuit die 802 can each serve a separate frequencyband. For example, the first filter 804 can serve a Band 34 while thedissimilar filter 806 can serve a spate frequency band, e.g., Band 39.

Dissimilar filters may be filters that serve separate frequency rangesand/or serve a different purpose within a FEM, e.g., a filter forfiltering a transmit signal and a filter for filtering a receivedsignal. Similar or like filters may be filters that serve the samefrequency range (e.g., pass a predefined frequency range) or both servethe same purpose within a FEM, e.g., both filter transmit signals orboth filter receive signals.

Referring now to FIG. 9, circuit 902 of resonators for a filter circuit900 is shown. The circuit 902 can be a resonator based band pass filter.The circuit 902 includes series resonators 904-918 and shunt resonators920-928. The resonators 904-928 can be bulk acoustic wave (BAW)resonators, thin film bulk acoustic wave resonator (FBAR), solidlymounted resonator (SMR), and/or any other type of resonator. The circuit902 includes an input port pad 930 and an output port pad 942. Thecircuit 902 includes ground pads 932-940.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a circuit 1074 of resonators for two filters1000 and 1002 integrated onto a single integrated filter circuit die isshown. The filter 1000 and the filter 1002 include the same filterdesign and each include the same number and configuration of resonators.The resonators 1004-1054 can be BAW resonators, FBARs, SMRs, and/or anyother type of resonator. The resonators 1004-1054 can be located on asurface of an integrated filter circuit die. The filter 1000 includesseries resonators 1004-1018 and shunt resonators 1036-1044. The filter1002 includes series resonators 1020-1034 and shunt resonators1046-1054.

The circuit 1074 includes shared ground pads 1056-1064 between the twofilters 1000 and 1002. The ground pads 1056-1064 can interconnect thedie to a printed circuit board (PCB). Furthermore, the circuit 1074includes a pad 1066 to connect the filter 1000 to an antenna. Thecircuit 1074 includes a pad 1068 to connect the filter 1000 to anothercomponent (e.g., a transceiver, an amplifier, etc.). Furthermore, thecircuit 1074 includes a pad 1070 to connect the filter 1002 to anantenna. The circuit 1074 includes a pad 1072 to connect the filter 1002to another component (e.g., a transceiver, an amplifier, etc.).

Referring now to FIG. 11, a circuit 1100 of resonators for two filtersintegrated onto a single integrated filter circuit die with varyingstages is shown. The circuit 1100 can implement filters 1166 and 1168,which may be like filters, filters supporting the same frequency range.However, the filters 1166 and 1168 can be implemented with differentnumbers of stages. The filters 1166 and 1168 may have various numbers ofstages based on the varied number of stages needed for MIMO filters andFEM filters.

The circuit 1100 includes resonators 1102-1146. The resonators 1102-1146can be BAW resonators, FBARs, SMRs, and/or any other type of resonator.The filter 1166 can include series resonators 1102-1116 and shuntresonators 1130-1138. The filter 1168 includes series resonators1118-1128 and shunt resonators 1140-1146. The filter 1166 includes a pad1148 for connecting with an antenna and a pad 1150 for connecting withanother component (e.g., a transceiver or amplifier). The filter 1168includes a pad 1162 for connecting to an antenna and a pad 1164 forconnecting to another component (e.g., a transceiver or amplifier). Thefilters 1166 and 1168 share ground pads 1154-1160. The filter 1166includes a ground pad 1152.

Referring now to FIG. 12, a layout of an circuit die 1200 of a Band 25receive filter is shown. The integrated circuit die 1200 is a 750micrometer (um) by 570 um die. The circuit die 1200 making up theresonator itself is approximately 400 um by 385 um. The resonator areato die area of the circuit die 1200 is approximately 36%. The integratedcircuit die 1200 includes infrastructure, i.e., seal rings 1202, vias1204, landing sites 1206 around the vias 1204, keep out areas 1208, sawstreets 1210, and metal interconnects between resonators 1212-1230. Thepacking of the resonators 1212-1230 may be efficient but theinfrastructures can take up space.

Referring now to FIG. 13, an example layout of a Band 8 duplexerintegrated circuit die 1300 is shown. The circuit die 1300 includes likeintegrated filters. Resonators 1302-1318 of the circuit die 1300 aretiled to minimize die area. The circuit die 1300 is 1130 um by 1130 um.The resonator area of the circuit die 1300 is approximately 920 um by924 um. The resonator area to die area is 67%.

In FIG. 13, multiple mask layers are shown. Each layer includes amaterial (e.g., the bottom electrode metal, the piezo layer, etc.) thathas a specific thickness. Thus the unit process tool used to deposit oretch a layer deals with a unique thickness (e.g., dep time and etchtime) and although the patterns and shapes can change, the unit processtools and the order with which the process flows from start to finishare identical for layers of like filters. Because each of the resonatorsfor a filter has the same acoustic stack for the counterpart resonatorof the like filter, the frequency spectrum that the two filters addressis the same.

The circuit design hardware system may be implemented in many differentways and in many different combinations of hardware and software. Forexample, all or parts of the implementations may be circuitry thatincludes an instruction processor, such as a Central Processing Unit(CPU), microcontroller, or a microprocessor; an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC), Programmable Logic Device (PLO), or FieldProgrammable Gate Array (FPGA); or circuitry that includes discretelogic or other circuit components, including analog circuit components,digital circuit components or both; or any combination thereof. Thecircuitry may include discrete interconnected hardware components and/ormay be combined on a single integrated circuit die, distributed amongmultiple integrated circuit dies, or implemented in a Multiple ChipModule (MCM) of multiple integrated circuit dies in a common package, asexamples.

The circuitry may further include or access instructions for executionby the circuitry. The instructions may be stored in a tangible storagemedium that is other than a transitory signal, such as a flash memory, aRandom Access Memory (RAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), an ErasableProgrammable Read Only Memory (EPROM); or on a magnetic or optical disc,such as a Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CDROM), Hard Disk Drive (HOD),or other magnetic or optical disk; or in or on another machine-readablemedium. A product, such as a computer program product, may include astorage medium and instructions stored in or on the medium, and theinstructions when executed by the circuitry in a device may cause thedevice to implement any of the processing described above or illustratedin the drawings.

The implementations may be distributed as circuitry among multiplesystem components, such as among multiple processors and memories,optionally including multiple distributed processing systems.Parameters, databases, and other data structures may be separatelystored and managed, may be incorporated into a single memory ordatabase, may be logically and physically organized in many differentways, and may be implemented in many different ways, including as datastructures such as linked lists, hash tables, arrays, records, objects,or implicit storage mechanisms. Programs may be parts (e.g.,subroutines) of a single program, separate programs, distributed acrossseveral memories and processors, or implemented in many different ways,such as in a library, such as a shared library (e.g., a Dynamic LinkLibrary (DLL)). The DLL, for example, may store instructions thatperform any of the processing described above or illustrated in thedrawings, when executed by the circuitry.

Various implementations have been specifically described. However, manyother implementations are also possible.

What is claimed:
 1. A front end radio frequency (RF) module comprising:one or more first filter circuits and one or more first amplifiercircuits configured to implement a front end function by filtering andthen amplifying or amplifying and then filtering a first signalcommunicated between one or more first antenna and a transceiver; andone or more second filter circuits and one or more second amplifiercircuits configured to implement at least a portion of an additionalnetwork function within the front end RF module by filtering and thenamplifying or amplifying and then filtering a second signal communicatedbetween one or more second antenna and the transceiver.
 2. The front endRF module of claim 1, wherein the additional network function is atleast one of a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) function, adiversity function, and a dual connectivity (DC) function.
 3. The frontend RF module of claim 1, wherein the RF module includes one or morecircuits configured to repurpose a filter circuit of the one or morefirst filter circuits to implement the additional network function inresponse to the front end RF module operating in a particular mode wherethe filter circuit is unused to implement the front end function.
 4. Thefront end RF module of claim 3, wherein a second filter circuit of theone or more second filter circuits and the filter circuit repurposed toimplement the additional network function are integrated onto a singleintegrated filter circuit die.
 5. The front end RF module of claim 1,wherein at least two like filter circuits of the one or more firstfilter circuits and the one or more second filter circuits areintegrated onto a single integrated filter circuit die.
 6. The front endRF module of claim 5, wherein a plurality of resonators of a firstfilter circuit of the at least two like filter circuits and a secondfilter circuit of the at least two like filter circuits are tiled toincrease a resonator area to die area ratio of the single integratedfilter circuit die.
 7. The front end RF module of claim 6, wherein theat least two like filter circuits are filters of a predefined frequencyrange and are both receive filters or transmit filters.
 8. The front endRF module of claim 7, wherein the first filter circuit includes a firstnumber of stages that implement filtering for the predefined frequencyrange and the second filter circuit includes a second number of stagesthat implement filtering for the predefined frequency range, wherein thefirst number of stages is different than the second number of stages. 9.The front end RF module of claim 5, wherein the at least two like filtercircuits comprise a first filter circuit and a second filter circuit;wherein the single integrated filter circuit die includes a first inputport and a first output port for the first filter circuit and a secondinput port and a second output port for the second filter circuit;wherein the first output port is connected to a first low noiseamplifier (LNA) and the second output port is connected to a second LNA;wherein the first input port is connected to a first antenna and thesecond input port is connected to a second antenna.
 10. The front end RFmodule of claim 9, wherein the single integrated filter circuit dieincludes one or more common ground pads for the first filter circuit andthe second filter circuit.
 11. The front end RF module of claim 9,wherein the single integrated filter circuit die includes an independentpad for each of the first input port, the first output port, the secondinput port, and the second output port.
 12. An electronic devicecomprising: a front end radio frequency (RF) module comprising: aplurality of filter circuits and amplifier circuits configured toimplement a front end function by filtering and then amplifying oramplifying and then filtering a signal communicated between one or moreantenna and a transceiver; and wherein at least two filter circuits ofthe plurality of filter circuits are integrated onto a single integratedfilter circuit die of the RF module, wherein the at least two filtercircuits are associated with a predefined frequency range.
 13. Theelectronic device of claim 12, wherein the RF module of the electronicdevice includes: one or more second filter circuits and one or moresecond amplifier circuits configured to implement at least a portion ofan additional network function within the front end RF module byfiltering and then amplifying or amplifying and then filtering a secondsignal communicated between one or more second antenna and thetransceiver; wherein the additional network function is at least one ofa multiple input multiple output (MIMO) function, a diversity function,and a dual connectivity (DC) function.
 14. The electronic device ofclaim 13, wherein the RF module of the electronic device includes one ormore circuits configured to repurpose a filter circuit of the pluralityof filter circuits to implement the additional network function inresponse to the front end RF module operating in a particular mode wherethe filter circuit is unused to implement the front end function. 15.The electronic device of claim 14, wherein a second filter circuit ofthe one or more second filter circuits and the filter circuit repurposedto implement the additional network function are integrated onto aparticular single integrated filter circuit die of the RF module of theelectronic device.
 16. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein atleast two like filter circuits of the plurality of filter circuits andthe one or more second filter circuits are integrated onto a particularsingle integrated filter circuit die of the RF module of the electronicdevice; wherein one or more of a plurality of resonators of a firstfilter circuit of the two like filter circuits and a second filtercircuit of the two like filter circuits are tiled to increase aresonator area to die area ratio of the particular single integratedfilter circuit die; wherein the at least two like filter circuits areboth receive filters or transmit filters.
 17. The electronic device ofclaim 16, wherein the particular single integrated filter circuit dieincludes a first input port and a first output port for the first filtercircuit and a second input port and a second output port for the secondfilter circuit; wherein the first output port is connected to a firstlow noise amplifier (LNA) and the second output port is connected to asecond LNA; wherein the first input port is connected to a first antennaand the second input port is connected to a second antenna.
 18. Amulti-chip module device comprising integrated filter circuits,integrated switch circuits, and integrated amplifier circuits configuredto implement: a front end function by filtering and then amplifying oramplifying and then filtering a signal communicated between one or morefirst antenna and a transceiver; wherein at least two filter circuits ofthe plurality of filter circuits are integrated onto a single integratedfilter circuit die of the device, wherein the two filter circuits areassociated with a predefined frequency range; wherein one or more dieinfrastructure of the single integrated filter circuit die are sharedbetween the at least two filter circuits.
 19. The multi-chip moduledevice of claim 18, wherein two or more of the integrated amplifiercircuits are integrated onto a single integrated amplifier circuit die.20. The multi-chip module device of claim 18, wherein two or more of theintegrated switch circuits of the multi-chip module device areintegrated onto a single integrated switch circuit die of the multi-chipmodule; wherein additional logic for a Mobile Industry ProcessorInterface (MIPI) controller of the multi-chip module is integratedtogether with the MIPI controller on a single integrated MIPI controllercircuit die.